People on the move

Marlind & Stein, Mike Maguire, Julie Sweetwood, more...

Production company Motion Theory added Swedish team Mårlind & Stein to its directorial roster, repping them for commercials. Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein have worked together for ten years on TV spots, shows and features. Their latest film and biggest project to date, “Underworld Awakening,” opened strongly in theaters this past weekend. “We considered several different commercial production companies in America, but felt an instant connection to the people at Motion Theory and their close relationship and access to (Guillermo del Toro’s company) Mirada as a creative resource,” said Mårlind. Added Motion Theory exec producer/partner Javier Jimenez, “Not only do they come from a feature background, but they have made tons of commercials (and) know how to craft a compelling (shortform) visual cinematic story.”

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Director Mike Maguire joined the roster of biscuit filmworks for commercial representation. Maguire has completed campaigns for Allstate, SportsBets, Tostitos, Bundaberg, Rold Gold and more. He was formerly associate creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and has directed in the past via such shingles as Propoganda, MJZ and The Directors Bureau. “Mike is a great talent and his visual style, work ethic and approach to directing make him the right fit for biscuit,” said Shawn Lacy, managing director, biscuit filmworks.

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Julie Sweetwood joined creative agency Bemis Balkind’s TV Group as VP, business development. In her new post she’ll help drive integrated services for agency’s TV partners. The announcement was made by partners Peter Bemis and Aubrey Balkind. “What I like about Bemis Balkind is its holistic approach,” said Sweetwood. “It combines print and digital solutions to an industry that has been migrating from ‘appointment TV’ to on-demand content across multiple devices.”

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Digital fx shingle Dilated Pixels named Rik Shorten as vfx supervisor. Shorten, who has served on over 100 episodes of “CSI” since 2008, will continue in that capacity for Dilated Pixels during the series’ 12th season as part of Dilated Pixels’ exclusive arrangement with CBS, which makes it the show’s sole vfx provider. “We’re thrilled to have Rik working with our team,” said Dilated Pixels co-founder TJ Sakasegawa, “He’s played an integral role on ‘CSI’ for many years.” Added CSI exec producer Louis Milito, “Dilated Pixels is doing amazing work for us this season. They’re redefining the way digital effects are done on a television budget and schedule.”

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Broadcast services provider Bexel, a unit of the Vitec Group’s Services, appointed industry vet Matt Danilowicz as president. In his new role Danilowicz will be responsible for all operational aspects of Bexel, reporting to Jerry Gepner, CEO of Vitec’s services unit.

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Hollywood Center Studios appointed Jerry Cole to the new post of director of virtual and broadcast services. Cole, whose background includes posts with AOL, GlobeCast and Warner Bros., will oversee virtual production services for webcasts, broadcast and television production.

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Systems integrator ALT Systems promoted Bruno Munger to VP and CTO. Munger will continue to manage expansion of services, especially in the area of on-set dailies, which he has fostered since joining the company in February 2011 as Director of Sales.